As is known, computer passwords are used to authenticate an individual for a wide range of activities including logging on to a computer, gaining access to a mobile telephone, signing in to a Web site, etc. Thinking up appropriate passwords and then trying to remember them can be a constant effort for a computer user as well as troublesome.
Complex passwords—preferred by administrators and online services—can be forgotten more easily by a user, or may be written down by a user in a discoverable location. Choosing a simple password makes it easier for the user to remember it, but then it may not be secure. Simple passwords can more easily be “hacked” by an unscrupulous person who then gains access to the user's account. Hackers will often use a “brute force” attack in order to crack a simple password.
Traditional authentication techniques only allow users to type in a password into a one-dimensional input box, which generates a sequential string according to what the user has input into the box. These traditional techniques are less secure and require the users to input longer and varied passwords in order to achieve greater security. One advanced technique disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 13/680,834 (which is hereby incorporated by reference) uses a two-dimensional grid into which a pattern or password is input. Even so, improvements upon the security provided by this technique would be desirable.
Therefore, while a user may wish to choose a simple password, often he or she is forced into choosing a complex one-dimensional password because of the requirements of the system administrator or of the online service. It would be desirable to provide further protection for passwords in general and for simple passwords as well, so that even simple passwords cannot be hacked.